In one aspect of the present invention apparatus and methods for carbonation of liquids are taught; and in another aspect techniques, including apparatus are taught for preserving beverages and foodstuff. It is well-known that carbonated beverages are typically packaged, stored and shipped in plastic or glass bottles sealed with a removable cap or top, most commonly a threaded screw-on cap which can be quickly and easily removed and replaced during use. However, upon removal of the cap, the carbonated liquid within the bottle will begin to lose its carbonation or “fizz”. As the beverage is consumed and removed from the bottle, a greater amount of air remains in the bottle relative to the amount of liquid in the bottle. As the air space within the bottle increases relative to the amount of carbonated liquid, even with the cap on the bottle, the carbon dioxide in the liquid will dissipate into the air space above the liquid, and the carbonated liquid will subsequently continue to lose its carbonation or “fizz”.
Further to be above, any air existing within a container holding liquid to be carbonated may be entrained in the liquid in the process of carbonation. Another problem encountered when air exists in the bottle container is that for certain natural carbonated beverages, such as fruit juices and beer, is that exposure to air can cause these types of beverages to spoil, go stale or otherwise degrade. Further, when air exists in such a bottle containing a carbonated beverage, further re-carbonation of the beverage may be prevented.
Carbonating devices of prior art have attempted to slow the loss of carbonation in the liquid by increasing the pressure in the bottle. However, regardless of the volume of air compressed into the bottle, the carbonation of the liquid is still eventually lost simply because air still remains in the bottle. Prior art devices have also attempted to enable the user to carbonate or re-carbonate beverages utilizing such as a valved coupling apparatus having a conduit there through which can be screwably-attached to the bottle, or cap-type enclosures for injecting carbon dioxide or other such pressurizing gases into a bottle of wine, wherein the gas is injected through the cork stopper cap in the nature of a hypodermic needle.
However, many beverage carbonation systems and apparatus in conventional art still do not adequately address the problem of air existing within the bottle above the carbonated beverage prior to the carbonation process, and most do not address the problem at all. In such prior art carbonation methods that do attempt to address problem of air in container, it is generally required that the liquid to be carbonated or re-carbonated be contained in a plastic squeezable bottle, such as a P.E.T. bottle as it is known in the art, such that the air in the bottle may be removed by manually opening a valve on the apparatus attached to the bottle, and simultaneously manually depressing the sides of the bottle to permit a substantial amount of the air present in the bottle to be ejected through the valved coupling on the bottle into the atmosphere.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,934 issued to Moench on Mar. 14, 1995, discloses a method and apparatus for injecting gas into a bottled fluid to carbonate or maintain carbonation in the liquid, wherein a valve coupling having a conduit extending there through, which is adapted to fixedly attach to the nozzle of a bottle containing liquid. Practice of the Moench invention, however, requires the use of plastic liquid container bottles, such as P.E.T. bottles, which have flexible sides, because in order to purge the container of air, the user must manually depress the sides of the bottle, and simultaneously hold a valve button open on the valved coupling, in order to expel the air.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,535 issued to Meckstroth on Oct. 19, 1976, discloses a system and apparatus for the production of sparkling wine by applying carbon dioxide to wine that is already bottled, utilizing a high pressure cap-type enclosure permitting the carbon dioxide to be applied through the cap with an applicator in the nature of a hypodermic needle. The problem of removing any excess air from the space above the liquid within the container, however, is not addressed in the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,054 issued to Grill on Mar. 14, 2000, discloses an attachment adapted for a carbonated liquid container which pressurizes the beverage within the container with carbon dioxide or other pressurize gaseous fluid. The attachment is adapted to screwably attach to the nozzle of a bottle container, and provides the user with the ability to vary and control the gas pressure of the container by manipulating a button extending from the attachment. The invention, however, also fails to adequately address the issue of air still remaining in the container prior to the carbonating process.
Such systems and apparatus are often complex, awkward and cumbersome, and further do not enable the user to adequately remove the existing air in bottles other than plastic squeezable bottles, such as from glass bottles containing wine or beer, for example.
What is clearly needed is an improved method and apparatus for carbonating or re-carbonating liquid contained in a bottle, which provides a carbonating apparatus which is of simple design and easily and economically manufactured, utilizing commercially available elements for manufacture. Such an improved method and apparatus simplifies the process of removing the air from within the bottle prior to the application of the pressurizing gas, by eliminating the need to manually squeeze the bottle while simultaneously manually holding opened a valve to eject the air from the bottle. Such an improved method and apparatus is described below in enabling detail.
Further to the above it is known that food and beverage spoilage in many instances is related to oxygenation of the beverage or foodstuff, typically from oxygen in the air. If beverages and food are stored in a container, and there is air in the container (the air containing oxygen) the oxygen may precipitate and accelerate spoilage. The apparatus of the present invention, used in similar ways to the carbonation of liquids, may also serve to retard the spoilage of beverages and foodstuffs. Unique apparatus and methods are taught below for this purpose as well.